Moving On
by LadyLene
Summary: *AU* This is not set in any season. Blaine has been accepted to NYADA and Sam has been accepted to NYU after unsuccessfully finding a modeling contract. They've both moved in with Rachel, Kurt, and Santana. Rachel and Kurt are in their second year at NYADA and both are auditioning for Broadway shows. It's a little over a year since Finn's death. SAMCHEL story
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note:I went ahead put the below information so you'd know upfront what kind of story this was. This is only my second fic and my first Glee fic...please be nice. I'd appreciate reviews :)_

Pairings: Rachel/Sam; Blaine/Kurt; Santana/Dani

Summary: This is not set in any season. Blaine has been accepted to NYADA and Sam has been accepted to NYU after unsuccessfully finding a modeling contract. They've both moved in with Rachel, Kurt, and Santana. Rachel and Kurt are in their second year at NYADA and both are auditioning for Broadway shows. It's a little over a year since Finn's death.

Author's Note: This will be a Samchel story, please don't flame. If you don't like the pairing…don't read. I'm trying this out, it was a challenge fic someone asked me to write. This is after Funny Girl, Santana and Rachel have made up but will be moving out. Reviews are more than welcome

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, Ryan Murphy is the Genius behind Glee. This story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

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Chapter One

**Rachel** was standing next to Kurt in the in the lobby of the LaGuardia Airport. Santana was taking a shift at the diner so she wasn't able to be there. The two best friends were waiting impatiently for their high school friends to arrive. Blaine, Sam, and Artie were set to arrive in New York from Ohio and they were beyond excited. Blaine would be starting the school year at NYADA with them while Sam would be attending NYU with Artie. Artie had decided to live on campus, but Blaine and Sam would be moving into their very spacious apartment. Kurt was bouncing up and down next to Rachel with excitement. She was happy for him, he was finally going to live with Blaine the way she'd always hoped she'd get to with Finn. It was going to be hard with Blaine there, she wasn't going to lie to herself or Kurt, but that didn't mean she wasn't happy for him. She'd already had the discussion with them about how it was going to change the dynamic in the apartment. Dani stayed over a lot with Santana, and now with Blaine there…well Rachel wasn't looking forward to her lonely nights on the couch by herself. Kurt had promised that they'd make sure they saved time for each other, but it wouldn't be the same. They were growing up, getting older, and it was definitely different. Rachel was a ball of mixed emotions as she finally saw her friends approaching them. She was so excited to have her fellow Glee members there with them, but she didn't look forward to the pity that they were going to throw in her direction. Rachel watched as Kurt rushed forward and ran into Blaine's opening arms, it was beautiful to see. Sam was helping Artie off of the elevator and they both headed in their direction. When Sam's green eyes reached hers, her heart did a little flutter, but she pushed it down guiltily. Kurt and Santana had teased her mercilessly about the innocent flirting that she and Sam had shared during his visit, so the last thing she needed was more of that.

**Rachel** greeted each of her friends with a hug, and they all set off for the luggage terminals. Between the three of them, they had a lot of luggage, so they opted to rent a taxi instead of taking the train, which was going to be expensive. They piled into the vehicle and headed to their apartment first so they could drop Blaine and Sam's luggage off before heading to Artie's dorm. The one bad thing about their apartment, was the fact that there was no elevator and they had to carry Artie and his wheelchair up three flights of stairs. Kurt and Rachel had spent a lot of time setting up a space for Sam. There weren't really any bedrooms, it was more of a warehouse space, but they'd each carved out their own "rooms" with curtain rods and lots of heavy material to give them each privacy. It was a large place, but they couldn't take in anymore roommates without getting into some serious personal issues. Blaine and Kurt immediately set off to Kurt's room to start putting his things away, so Rachel showed Sam to his area. She helped him carry his bags over and his hands brushed hers as he took it from her. Rachel smiled up at him to hide how uncomfortable she was, but he seemed to know. His eyes sparkled as he looked at his room and then back at her.

"I really appreciate this, Rachel. I know that you and Kurt have some big auditions coming up, so I'll do my best to stay out of your way." Rachel looked up at him then, she didn't want to be rude.

"Sam, please don't worry about things like that. Kurt and I are happy that you and Blaine are here. Frankly the two of us needed some different company because we don't always get along, especially with Santana. It's great to have you here, you guys are the best friends we've ever had." Sam's smile brightened as he heaved the last of his bags into the room.

"Well if you ever want me out of the way, just say the word. I intend on getting a job as soon as possible so that I can help out. I can't imagine what this apartment costs in rent and it's not like my family could help out with any of that. With the student loans for college…yeah I need to get a job as soon as possible." Rachel nodded and ran over to the couch where she plucked a uniform from the arm and ran back over to hand it to him.

"Kurt and I anticipated that you and Blaine would need jobs. We showed Gunther some of your performances and he's offered both of you singing waiter jobs at the Spotlight. Everyone there is great and you get to sing all of the time, it's kind of like Glee club…only with serving food. I know you might want to find something else, but it's something while you look." Sam laughed as he took the uniform from her and laid it on the futon that would be his bed.

"That's so great of you guys, we're going to have a blast." They walked back into the living room where Artie was holding a DVD of Funny Girl, Rachel was on the cover. He smiled up at her as he replaced it back onto the coffee table.

"Rachel, we're sorry that weren't able to come to see the show, but it was great of you to send us copies of it. You were amazing as Fanny, the best since Barbara herself." Rachel couldn't help the giggle that escaped as she sat down on the couch.

"Artie, don't worry about it, I know you guys had finals and Nationals. I knew that you all were supporting me from where you were. Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsberry…er Mrs. Schuester came to the show and it was incredible. Mercedes, Quinn, and Mike even showed up at one of the performances. Kurt and I are going to be going to auditions next month and even though I've already done it…I'm still so nervous." Blaine and Kurt came back into the room and Blaine waved his hand dismissively.

"Rachel, you are going to nail whatever part you try out for. You're an amazing performer so any director would be crazy not to give it to you. Kurt here is the same way, amazing. I just wish that I could try out with you, but I know a professor has to sign off on it. I don't think they'll do that with me only being a student for a month." Kurt clapped his hands excitedly as he joined the conversation.

"That would be so much fun if all three of us got to be in the same musical! I'm sure one of your professors would sign off because you are amazing. I'm really excited now!" Rachel tilted her head as she studied Blaine, a smile slowly blossoming into place.

"Kurt, can't you see Blaine as Drew…he'd be perfect!" Blaine rolled his eyes as he plopped down onto the couch to try to take the attention off of himself.

"What play is it anyway? You guys have been very hush hush about it." Kurt shared a glance with her and then shrugged in mock nonchalance.

"Its bad luck to gossip about a role before your first audition, but Rachel is right about you being perfect. We're auditioning for Rock of Ages, it was such a fun movie that we both immediately looked up auditions for it. They're having open auditions next month, anyone can try out. Normally, they only open up certain parts, but they're opening all of them to the public. I'm trying out for Lonny and Rachel is of course, trying out for Sherrie. She's right, you would be perfect as Drew. You have the vocal range and the two of you have proven that you're great opposite each other." Blaine opened his mouth and closed it again, at a loss for words, but it was Sam that spoke up.

"Dude, you have to ask one of your professors! You went around singing those songs for like two weeks after we watched that movie." They were all talking excitedly when Santana sauntered through the front door with Dani in tow. She stopped at the sight and smirked as she walked over to them.

"Hey Trouty, I almost forgot that you were joining us as well. My God Artie, how did you even get into this apartment, do you have a super chair or something?" Rachel had to suppress the snarky remark that almost rose out of her mouth. Ever since the feud between the two of them over Funny Girl…well it had never been the same. Sam rolled his eyes at Santana and sighed heavily before getting up.

"Okay, can we not start off as roommates with the stupid nicknames? We're not in high school anymore and frankly, I'm sick of the snark. I know you think you're being funny, but I actually do have a name." Rachel and Kurt had to avoid eye contact or they were going to both get caught in a fit of giggles. Santana had the decency to look contrite and nodded as she took off her work boots.

"Point taken, Sam, I apologize. We're not in high school anymore, my attitude is more of a reflex. So…were you guys talking about the Broadway auditions? It was a long time ago, Berry, you can tell me without fear of me trying to upstage you again." Rachel stood up and looked over at Kurt with a pointed look.

"Santana, it wasn't that long ago, the curtain closed only three weeks ago. Why don't you stick to your movie auditions because we all know that's what you want to do anyway? Look, we need to get going so that we can get Artie settled in at his dorm before heading to dinner." Everyone stood up, trying to diffuse the quickly thickening atmosphere, but in true Santana style, she couldn't let it go.

"Give it up, Rachel, you won! You performed every single show, I was never called to do it. I just wanted to share a little of the spotlight because lady Hummel was getting buzz about his band and you playing freaking Fannie! I apologized for trying to steal your part, but can you please stop throwing it in my face?" Blaine cleared his throat and walked over to stand behind Artie.

"Yeah, we can…deal with this later, we really should get Artie's things to his dorm so that he can claim the cool bed." Kurt looked at Rachel in a pleading way, once again trying to get her to be the better person. Why was it her job to always "be the better person?" Weren't they out of high school now? It irked her that whenever she was around Santana she still felt like the dwarfish little girl in the Glee club trying to vie for Finn's affections. Rachel cut off her train of thought right there, she hated thinking about Finn…it only led to tears. Kurt knew the look immediately and jumped up to take her hand.

"Come on Rachel, we promised these guys a night in New York before classes start. Santana, you and Dani are more than welcome to join us if you want." Santana was eyeing Rachel, trying to figure out what was upsetting her, but she pushed her thoughts away and smiled.

"Sure, where are you headed? I need to take a shower because I still smell like the Diner…oh please tell me that's not where you're taking them?" Kurt shook his head and opened the front door for everyone.

"Of course not, we see enough of that place during the week. No, we're going to New York City…we're sort of going to wing it because we're all still broke. Just call us when you're ready and we'll meet up because we still have to take Artie to his dorm first." Rachel and Kurt headed down the steps first so that Sam and Blaine could carry Artie down. Kurt bumped her arm in a playful way to get her attention so that she'd look at him. When she did, his face was neutral, he did this when he didn't want her to cry. She smiled sadly at him and made sure that the other boys weren't in earshot.

"I'm okay Kurt, it's just…so many tiny things remind me of him. The bickering with Santana isn't helping because it reminds me of high school. When she rags on me like that, I think about us sitting in Mr. Schue's class room again while the cool kids poke fun. My entire life with Finn was in that room and…it's just hard." Kurt's face fell as she spoke, he knew that she'd kept it bottled up too much. She never wanted to talk about it, she'd get so upset and even angry when he wanted to talk it out. He was glad that he had Blaine because Blaine would listen to him patiently when he had attacks like that. Who did Rachel have to talk to if she wasn't talking to him?

"Oh Rachel, I never thought about it like that. Santana trying to steal your spotlight is just like sitting that class, watching her call everyone names…especially Finn." Rachel bent her head and turned away, she was so close to crying, but she didn't want them to see this. Finn had said it before that she had three different cry faces and if they saw this one, they'd know it was about him. Her voice broke as she responded to his all too perceptive words.

"Exactly, so just give me a moment and it'll pass. Normally, I'm by myself when this happens." She hadn't heard them come outside with them so when Blaine's voice sounded behind her, Rachel jumped.

"Hey guys, what's going on really? I know Rachel isn't that upset over Santana…she's always like that." She heard Kurt smile it off, he was probably waving his hands to try and take focus off of her…he really was the best friend ever.

"She's fine guys, it's just stress. We're about to start our second year at NYADA and Rachel found out that she has Ms. July again…she's worse than coach Sylvester. Plus, with the auditions coming up…with Santana hitting her hot button, it's just a lot of stress." Blaine started chatting behind her, trying to distract her, but she wasn't listening. All she could think about in that moment is how Finn would have wrapped her in his arms and told her that she could handle anything.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note: So, this story is a little sad, please just stick with it, I promise it's going to get better. I'm sorry for how long it took me to post this, I've been having internet issues. Thank you to everyone who's followed it, Favorited it, and commented, I'm glad you like it so far :) The lyrics in this chapter are Taylor Swift "Haunted". Please leave comments :)**_

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Chapter 2

**Sam** knew that it was stupid, but he couldn't stop staring at Rachel. Since she'd been the one to get him the job, Gunther said that she was responsible for training him. The only problem with that, they were extremely close and practically glued to the hip. He didn't know if it was because of her makeover or maybe he'd always had a crush on her…Finn had always been there and he didn't poach on other dude's girls…even if Finn had done it to him once. Rachel was always super nice to him, even made him super cool his sophomore year by getting to take her and Mercedes to the junior prom. She'd been one of the biggest reasons that his parents had let him move back to Ohio and she was the first one to tell him that his lips were lovely…instead of trouty. Well since his trip to New York with Blaine last year and he'd seen first-hand just how hot she'd gotten…well there had been sparks. At first, he blew it off because she didn't seem interested, but there had been a moment. Blaine had gone all girl on him on the plane back, saying she was still grieving and that he and Kurt were worried. It wasn't like he could do anything about his feelings at the time anyway. He was still going to high school in Ohio and Rachel was a freaking Broadway Star in New York City…how could he compete with that? True, sometimes her talent and her obsessive need to show it off freaked him out, but he was stuck. He liked her and he didn't know what in the world to do about it. Kurt had told him to back off talking about Glee for a while because it was bringing memories up for Rachel. It was all they all had in common…what else was he supposed to talk about?

**Santana** kept trying to corner him at the diner, but he was very good a dodging her. He even started taking someone's order without Rachel's permission just to get away from her. True, Rachel did get mad at him because the table apparently wasn't even in their section, but he'd do anything to get away from Santana's knowing gaze. He didn't know how she knew either, it had been several months since he'd visited and nothing really happened, so why was she planning on giving him a hard time? Then again, his imagination could go wild sometimes, she may just be wanting to ask him to borrow some chap stick, and he had like four in his apron. It couldn't be avoided forever though because Rachel soon smiled softly at him and informed him that he could take his fifteen if he wanted. She went back into the break room so in efforts to avoid staring at her some more, he headed outside. Being a waiter was hard work, but they were getting good tips so that was definitely something. They had yet to burst into song, but some of the other waitresses had. As soon as he leaned up against the building, Santana came around the corner with a grin.

"You have been avoiding me since you got here, Sam. You cannot still be upset with me for calling you Trouty, I mean I've called you that since I met you." Sam felt relief like a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders. He lowered his head briefly and chuckled before answering her.

"No, I'm not avoiding you and no I'm not mad at you. I'm just kind of scatter brained, you know I've never been that smart and since moving here…well it's been hard. I'm taking five classes at NYU and now I've got a full time job being a singing waiter…even though I haven't sung yet, but with all that plus homework…this is worse than high school." Santana nodded but her keen eyes were still trained on him like a laser beam.

"Sam, why are you even going to college? I thought you wanted to make it as a model, not go to school." Sam had been thinking about that a lot himself lately, but he didn't want to disappoint his parents. He'd applied to NYU so that he'd have a valid excuse to move to New York with Blaine, he was his best friend. He knew that Rachel was a big reason too, but he wanted to be near his friends and most of them were there. His parents had been so happy when he got his acceptance letter, much to Sam's surprise. He'd barely pulled off a C average normally, but with Tina's tutoring, he'd gotten a solid B on all but one of his finals. He also did pretty well on his SAT's thanks to Blaine and Tina as well. His parents were super poor, so financial aid was paying for 90 percent of his tuition and the Channing Tatum scholarship paid for the rest. No, he didn't want to be a college student, but his mom cried because of how proud she was that someone in the family was going beyond high school…how could he say no to that? He had no idea how long the silence had been, time could really get away from him when he day dreamed like that so he quickly answered.

"Look, my parents didn't want me to move to New York. They wanted me to move back home and help them out for another year or so because they're still getting back on their feet. Blaine is my best friend and I didn't want to be stuck in Kentucky with him here with Kurt and Rachel. Tina really helped me study and I got my grades up so I applied and here I am. I do want to be a model, but I guess I can get my degree to...maybe try to be an actor…that doesn't require me to be smart." Santana nodded and then leaned up against to the building next to him.

"That makes sense, Sam, I get it. Why do you think that I moved here? No, in high school Rachel and I weren't friends, but I'd never really given her a chance. I came to visit her and Kurt on Christmas break and we had so much fun. Rachel and I got really drunk and hung out when she asked me to move in. It's sad that I haven't once picked up the phone to call Quinn and I felt more myself around Rachel, but she and Kurt accept me for me. I understand why you wanted to move here to be around the people who care about you. Now…let's talk about this crush you've got on Berry…it's extremely amusing." Sam jerked his head up to see her knowing smirk. He'd thought he'd gotten away from it, but in true Santana style, she was not to be denied. He groaned as he leaned his head back against the building.

"I don't know how it happened, but there it is. She was always really nice to me in high school and she's super-hot since she got her makeover. I don't know, when I came up here to visit, I saw her for the first time. She spent a lot of time helping me get my modeling portfolio together and it was fun. I finally understood why Finn stuck by her for so long. Sure, she can be annoying at times, but she's super talented and she's really there for her friends. Blaine gave me a huge speech about not going there, so I'm really trying not to." Santana made a face and with her, he never knew what she was going to say and once again, she surprised him.

"Oh please, you should totally go after her! Look, it's been over a year since Finn died. Yes, it was horrible and we're all still grieving, but Rachel deserves to be happy just like the rest of us. Don't ever tell her I told you this, but I worry about her. Since that douche-bag Brody, she hasn't so much as looked at the opposite sex and I saw it when you came to visit. You should do something about it before some guy comes along that tries to latch onto her talent…happens all the time. Make your move, Trouty…or someone else is going to beat you to the punch."

* * *

**Kurt** was watching Rachel closely as she worked alongside Sam. He should have made her talk it out with him, but he didn't want to push her. He missed Finn every day, but it was so much worse for Rachel. Just the idea of losing Blaine made his chest tighten, but he saw for the first time what Santana had been saying for a while. She'd been hiding behind the play and work and hadn't allowed herself to properly grieve. He saw the way that Sam was looking at her and normally it would make him happy, but Rachel didn't even notice it…she didn't notice any straight guys anymore. He looked over at Blaine, who was playing the piano and singing "How sweet it is to be loved by you." They'd officially started planning their wedding, but he felt like he was betraying Rachel somehow. He'd given her such a hard time about her wedding and here he was doing the exact same thing. He smiled when Blaine finished his song and the diner erupted in applause. His fiancé was so talented, he could probably cross over into movies if he wanted to, but right now he wanted to be on Broadway just like him and Rachel. Blaine strolled over to him with a sappy grin, he'd been looking at him all dreamy eyed since he showed up…Kurt loved it. Blaine followed Kurt's gaze to where Rachel was taking an order and bent his head.

"You seem very worried about her, and more here recently than before…what changed?" Kurt met Blaine's eyes and waited for him to connect the dots, which he did very easily and sighed before speaking again.

"You feel guilty about our wedding because Rachel never got to have hers?" Kurt shrugged, he knew it was silly and that she was happy for them, but there it was.

"Come on Blaine, look at her, and I mean really look at her. She hasn't been the same since Finn. She's borderline obsessive about Broadway auditions and she's either always rehearsing or here at this damn diner. Look at how Sam is staring at her, I find it weird, but he obviously likes her. It's been a little over a year and she doesn't even acknowledge the opposite sex. I've tried talking to her about it and she just shuts me down…I think we need to have an intervention or something." Before Blaine could respond, Santana and Dani showed up behind them and Santana responded while looking at the diner.

"I'm in, you're right about all of it. Maybe I was jealous about her getting on Broadway on her first attempt, maybe I just wanted to force her to mourn him. Either way, Berry isn't moving on. We all loved Finn, and I know that he was her soul mate or whatever, but what can I say? I'm worried about her. Even I fell for Trouty Mouth's sexy wiles at one time and she's not even looking at him…it's weird." Dani piped in and she was looking at the three of them like they were crazy.

"Guys, come on it's not that easy to forget your first love. Yes, I didn't know you guys in High School and I didn't know Finn, but you can see that she carries that weight around. Forcing her to bring it to the surface is just going to make her break again and possibly lash out at all of you. I think you guys should just let her mourn and come to you in her own time…it'll happen." They all stopped talking really quickly when Rachel and Sam walked over to them. Rachel's smile faltered slightly when she saw they were all staring at her.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Blaine was the first to break the awkward silence and touch her arm with a smile.

"We were all just wondering when you were going to take the stage and sing…it's been a while and since its Sam and My first shift, you should sing for us." Rachel looked at them all for a second before smiling softly and nodding.

"Oh is that it? Sure, you don't have to ask me twice to sing, you know I live for it." They all watched her take the stage with a sense of relief. Sam joined them and stood abnormally silent next to them. When the first chords of Rachel's song began, Kurt stood up straight and became slightly panicked.

"Oh no, this was a bad idea guys." Santana leaned her head in between where Blaine and Kurt were standing.

"We all need to be ready for when the song is over, she's going to need to go into the back." Dani, Blaine, and Sam looked confused until Rachel's first notes started to come out.

_"You and I walk a fragile line_  
_I have known it all this time_  
_but I never thought I'd live to see it break_  
_It's getting dark and it's all too quiet_  
_And I can't trust anything now_  
_And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake"_

Blaine turned to the group with a guilty expression on his face. He didn't mean for her to start singing her heart out like this, but maybe it was for the best.

"Maybe this is what she needs guys, so let's just see how it goes."

_"Oh, I'm holding my breath_  
_Won't lose you again_  
_something's made your eyes go cold_

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
_I thought I had you figured out_  
_Something's gone terribly wrong_  
_You're all I wanted_  
_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
_I thought I had you figured out_  
_Can't breathe whenever you're gone_  
_Can't turn back now, I'm haunted"_

Santana turned around towards the kitchen, she looked over at Dani and shook her head.

"I can't take this, you guys need to get her to the break room as soon as she's done…I'm going there now." They all listened as Rachel sang her song and she seemed okay at first, but once she really got into it, they saw the tears that were going down her face. The customers were completely mesmerized as she sang her heart out quite literally. Kurt, Blaine, and Sam stood watching her, unable to help. Kurt turned to look at Sam and saw the sad look in his face. Kurt wanted to comfort him, but right now all of his energy needed to be focused on his best friend who was going to need him. She rounded the bridge of the song and it took all of Kurt's strength not to break down himself, he saw Blaine had lost that battle.

_"I know, I know, I just know_  
_you're not gone. You can't be gone. No._

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
_I thought I had you figured out_  
_Something's gone terribly wrong_  
_Won't finish what you started_  
_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
_I thought I had you figured out_  
_Can't breathe whenever you're gone_  
_Can't go back, I'm haunted_

_Oh_

_You and I walk a fragile line_  
_I have known it all this time_  
_Never ever thought I'd see it break._  
_Never thought I'd see it..."_

When she finished the song, the diner exploded with whistling and applause and Rachel smiled as she stepped off of the stage. She made quick work of the tears and went to wash her hands before picking up her order book again. Kurt was watching her as closely as possible, but she didn't break down like he know she needed to. She was keeping it bottled up behind this wall she'd built and it only cracked when she sang. She walked over to where they stood and plastered on smile as she asked if Sam was ready to get back to work. He wasn't his normal, hyper self as he nodded ad followed her back to the floor. Kurt felt Blaine take his hand and he squeezed it back. They all finally saw what he's been trying to tell them for months now…Rachel seemed to be broken, he just hoped that something or someone could snap her out of it.


End file.
